Visit to Hardwick Hall - Part 2

Hello there Everyone:
Again, it's Isobel posting this week's blog - Cy Bear is doing his guardian duties sitting on my pillow in the flat, while I continue to stay with Clare, Alan and GrandsonE.  This arrangement has been on going for some time, and although I've done some sewing (replacement Baby Bunnies), I've found it difficult to get stuck in - with notions and fabric often in the "other place", when I do get around to it in the evening.  Hopefully, things will be back to normal soon - but in the meantime, the ColdhamCuddlies have been very fortunate in being highlighted in a huge number of Treasuries - thanks to the wonderful supportive actions of several Team Mates on my Etsy Teams in the past week.  That's also meant less time for making Cuddlies!
However, at the end of last week's unexpected topic, I did say I had further pictures of our visit to Hardwick Hall to show you - so without more ado, here they come!

This is the west facing view of Hardwick Hall (pretend you've come along the side of the south side and turned in to this side of the house - from the left of the picture).  The family group is in the foreground.  You can see the balustrade along the roof continues, and each wing of the house has the E and S indicating it's the residence of "Elizabeth, Countess of Shrewsbury"!  The windows are also well to the fore.

If one was inside and looking out of the southern face of Hardwick Hall, this avenue of Yew Hedges would be what you see - looking towards the stables and other Estate out-buildings I showed in my last week's post.

There is a huge pond just in front of the west-facing side of the Hall, and the afternoon we were there, just one drake could be found swimming in the immense structure.  The whole pond can be seen in the first picture - just to the right of the family group!

If you were looking out of Hall, on the west side, this is the view you would get - looking over the Estate for as far as the eye can see.  Being Springtime, the Estate sheep were grazing and the day we were there, we could see lots of baby lambs - although, because of the very blustery wind, they weren't doing their usual skipping about.

We walked across the grass to the gap between the yew hedge, to see how the sheep were being kept away from the Hall gardens, by means of a big ditch - otherwise known as a "Ha-Ha".  You can see from the previous photo, the ditch is not visible from inside the Hall. Having arrived early on in the afternoon, we had, had to wait to enter the Hall itself.  So, as the weather wasn't improving, and the front door opening time was imminent, the party moved back to the front entrance and moved out of the bitter cold wind - into the Banqueting Hall, which runs from the front entrance through almost the whole length of the house.

The Banqueting Hall seems to be a dark place, but in fact it is not.  I'd hazard a guess that on a bright, sunny day, the light would flood in and the embroidery and paintings would show off to a much better effect.  However, my snapshots do give you an idea of the height and splendour of the inside of Hardwick Hall.  (This is just the ground floor!)

Here is a better view of the Coat of Arms of the Earl of Shrewsbury, and throughout the inner rooms on the Ground Floor of the Hall visitors can see examples of the exquisite embroidery commissions by Bess of  Hardwick during the 1570's.  One commemorating some of the "Legend of Good Women" by Chaucer - which as a well-educated lady of the time, Bess of Hardwick would have known well. -  is shown below of  Penelope, Lucretia and Cleopatra. 

Photography is allowed inside Hardwick Hall, but flash lights are not.  So, although I did use a flash to take these inside pictures, they are not as clear as they might be had a light been allowed.  Given that all these hangings were made from medieval church vestments and sewn mostly by Bess of Hardwick's household servants, they are in amazing condition.  Professional embroiderers would have been responsible for the designs.  In all, according to a 1601 inventory, there are "fyve peeces of hangings of Cloth of golde velvett and other like stuffe imbrodered with pictures of the vertues.....every piece being twelve foote deep".    Here's another example - 

and yet another - which I think could be part of the collection celebrating the Noble Women of Chaucers tale.

Even to the untrained eye, and allowing for no flash lights, there is real difference in quality of these hangings, and given that they've been hanging since the 1570's, these embroideries are currently being conserved at the National Trust Textile Conservation Studio, the work having been started in 2012.  Each hanging have different types and levels of damage, so will vary in times taken for the conservation work to be carried out. Certain stages do remain the same however. For those who currently enjoy embroidery or other stitching crafts, according to the leaflet describing the work - 
(a) The condition of the hanging is assessed - and conservation needs decided. (b) Pictures are then taken- because everything a conservator does should be reversible, and they provide a record of the work done on each hanging. (c) The front is then cleaned - making the fabric colour and threads more visible.  Previous repairs will kept unless they threaten the hanging's overall stability. (d) Very fragile areas will be covered with protective netting.
As I said in my last week's post, the trip to Hardwick Hall was halted because I had found myself unable to walk much more.  We'd only done the Ground Floor of the Hall, and there are two more floors to explore another time. 
But before I close this blog about Hardwick Hall, before the weather closed in and made outside exploration uncomfortable, I did manage to take one more picture - confirming that Spring is not too far away - with daffodils showing between some of the trees in the Hardwick Hall gardens.

So - here's to the next time:  goodness knows what I'll be posting about then, but I do hope you've enjoyed sharing this visit to one of the picturesque Stately Homes in our local vicinity.  We're blessed with many of them. Your Friend, Isobel

Another Change of Topic - Visiting a Local UK Stately Home

Hello Everyone!

First of all, my apologies for missing last week's blog, but time simply flew by, and as there was little more to post about, I decided to let the occasion pass!

This week, however, I'm delighted to tell you that the White and Yellow Plush Baby Rabbits  mentioned in our last post who were en route to Florida - got to their intended destination in time for Easter.

MrsDM, the Buyer, who intended the Yellow one for her Sister - to remind them both of their childhood in England, sent this message - which I picked up on Easter Saturday.

"The little bunnies arrived today, just in time for Easter tomorrow. I took my sister her yellow bunny and she just broke into a huge smile and started cuddling it. I adore my little one as well. Thanks so much, they are a so very cute."

The more Cuddlies I make, the more I am convinced that although I make Toys for EVERYONE, most of them seem to end up with folks who like to be reminded of childhood days, rather than those who are actually experiencing them now!!  Not a problem, but.........!!

In my title, I allude to the fact that you are going to be told about one of the local visitor attractions - of which there are fortunately quite a few in the local vicinity - Hardwick Hall - a National Trust property which is located 7-9 miles from where I live in Kirkby in Ashfield, Nottinghamshire. There are several ways to approach Hardwick Hall (HH from now on), which is actually over the country border in Derbyshire (which is only a couple of miles away from Kirkby) and that accounts for the mileage variation!!

Built by Bess of Hardwick, Countess of Shrewsbury (which she became as the result of one of her four marriages), parts of the site have been in existence since the 1500's.  Bess is mostly described as being "formidable", and when you consider she lived at the same time as Queen Elizabeth I, and was the second richest person in the land at that time, you get some idea of the lady's stature!  Her grand daughter, Arbella, was niece of Mary, Queen of Scots (having married Mary's nephew Charles Stuart) and a serious contender to succeed the childless Queen Elizabeth.  However, that possibility was scuppered by the fact that Charles Stuart died, and Arbella was imprisoned by Elizabeth in the Tower of London, so the crown passed to Mary's son, James I (VI of Scotland) - and the rest, as the saying goes - is History!!

Bess was intent on making a statement of her status - hence the creation of Hardwick Hall, which is now part of the National Trust - having been acquired for their portfolio in place of death duties from the Estate of the Duke of Devonshire.  (Hardwick Hall, became part of the Devonshire's Estate as the result of an earlier Duke of Devonshire's marriage, and is not very far from Chatsworth - where the current Duke of Devonshire still lives.)  HH is built on the top of a ridge which over looks the M1 motorway - connecting London and Scotland - and despite the Old Hall (original, but burned before being replaced by the current structure) being in ruins, both structures can still be visited.  

A view of the Old Hall, with visitors in the foreground.

Our visit was on a grey, Spring day with gusty winds, which were enough to nearly blow us away at times, so the buildings and garden don't show themselves well.  However, I hope the photographs which follow will give folks an idea of the grandeur of the site, and may be entice overseas readers to visit when they come to the UK.  (As most of you are aware, I am sure, there is a lot more to the United Kingdom than just London - although one can spend a lot of time there, and not see EVERYTHING worth seeing in that City too).

The view from the Hall Grounds at the entrance Visitors take to view the Grounds and Hall.

Stableyard and Estate Buildings - now used for displaying tourist attractions.

Rear of the Stable - now used as Visitor Restaurant.  Too cold for outside lingering when we visited.

Entrance to Hardwick Hall on its South-facing side.

Just to prove the family were all there!  Grandad was taking the picture!

On the right of the above photo, you'll see the branch end of a magnificent fir tree, which has obviously been in situ for decades, if not centuries.  Alas, the combination of heavy snow and gale force winds suffered over Christmas a couple of years' ago, resulted in the trunk being shattered at the top of the tree. 

To leave it was against every tenet of the "dreaded" Health & Safety regime,  It required the services of the "biggest crane available in the UK, and two days' labour" - to quote one of the staff directing visitors along)  to remove it safely and get it over the wall!

The coat of arms of the Earl of Shrewsbury are depicted in the centre of the balustrade running along the top of the South Side of the Hall, and atop each front wing of the building there are the letters ES- Elizabeth Shrewsbury - just to make sure everyone knew to whom the building belonged!  Also, take note of the number of windows  - at a time when there was a window tax in effect!  Bess, who "married well", despite being widowed thrice, did not care - and was happy for all to know it! 

Thanks to an accident the week before last, in which the family dog got spooked and I ended up falling in the road collecting some interesting bruises (most of which could not be exhibited and so get sympathy) the visit to the house and gardens had to be curtailed.  However, I took sufficient photographs on this occasion for at least another post here - and as this one has gone on for some time, I'll post the rest of the visit illustrations next week.  (There are two more floors for me to explore - the next time(s) I go, whether it be with family or my fellow residents.  After all, 7-9 miles is no distance even for those of us in the UK -  but next door for many of you Folk!)

Good to be back.  Will try to post more regularly in future, as time and events allow.  Belated Happy Easter wishes to all of you - my lovely Friendly Followers.

Your Friend - Isobel

Baby Bunnies en route to Florida - in search of some sunshine.

Hello everyone - Cy Bear returning to the Blog for a session again.

Isobel is taking a rest from Hedgehogs for a bit (although I shall probably refer to some of the things she has been working on "behind the scenes" as it were).  However, she's been poorly over the past few weeks, and a couple of weeks ago was diagnosed with pleurisy.  Last week, "the Muse" as she likes to call her ability to create these posts - both on behalf of  herself  and me - was a bit low, which is why there was no bulletin from us.

This week, though, she's picked up somewhat, been able to finish some of  the Yellow and White Baby Easter Bunnies she'd been sewing as replacements to our bunch of  Baby Bunnies (of many colours) and actually parcel up two who have recently found Forever Homes in Jacksonville, Florida.

So, this is a photograph of the two White Plush Baby Bunnies we had in stock when MsDM contacted Isobel early in February.  When shown the photograph, she chose the one on the right, but

then asked if she could have one of the Yellow and White Plush Baby Bunnies too.  Apparently, these Baby Bunnies reminded her of the childhood in England, when she had a White Baby Bunny and her sister had a Yellow one.  

As all the Yellow Bunnies we had were already on display at "The Artful Buttoner",in Kirkby-in-Ashfield - where we live now,  and because Isobel is currently staying up the road with her Grandson and his family, she collected the fabrics to make some more, and this is the result so far:

A second all yellow one is currently being worked on, but as MsDM asked for a Yellow and White Chested Bunny - with either a Yellow or Green ribbon (with or without check or dots) - Isobel chose the Baby Bunny on the right of the above picture (as it looks most similar to the chosen White one) and proceeded to find what suitable ribbon she had in her stash.  

Most of the ribbons now in stock are too big - because of some new offerings Isobel is working on - but she was able to find some suitable self-colour yellow ribbon, which she promptly sewed on to the Baby Bunny bound for Florida.

The two travellers are now safely, individually wrapped in chemical free tissue paper, ready for their journey to Jacksonville - scheduled to start on 14th March.  They've then both been wrapped together in bubble wrap and slipped into a polythene airmail envelope.  All that remains to be done is for the Customs label to be filled in, and the journey paid for - and both Baby Bunnies will be on their way to their Forever Homes.

The Hedgehog story is in limbo at present, until Isobel is back home and able to organise herself once again.  In the meantime though, there have been two Petitions to Parliament which could well have a bearing on the future of the UK Hedgehog population.  Both have been signed by Isobel - on behalf of herself and us Coldham Cuddlies.  One seeks to save a special Wildlife Police Unit from being closed down for lack of funds, and has been successful in persuading the current UK Government to find sufficient funds to allow the Unit to operate until 2020.

The second petition is still on going and aims to get Protection for the UK Hedgehog population in an effort to halt their decline.  It has been proposed by Oliver Colville, MP - who is the Member of Parliament behind the move to get the Hedgehog made the Official UK Animal.

The exact wording of the petition is as follows:-

Give the hedgehog better legal protection in order to reverse its decline.

The petition of the residents of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland declares that the British hedgehog population has declined by up to a third over the last 10 years.The petitioners therefore urge the House of Commons to endorse the practical supporting measures of 'Hedgehog Street' and ensure the hedgehog is given better legal protection including adding it to Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act by the Government and in particular the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

So far, the petition has attracted 25,238 signatures.  The procedure in the UK for petitions is that all with more than 10,000 signatures have to receive an official response from Government, and 29 days are allowed for that to happen.  It has been proposed by Oliver Colville, MP - who is the Member of Parliament behind the move to get the Hedgehog made the Official UK Animal. 

The countdown for the Government response  is still in progress. 

 In case you are interested,  you can learn more about "Hedgehog Street" and the work being carried out by the British Hedgehog Preservation Society by clicking on this link  http://www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk/.  The Press Office there were most helpful and encouraging to Isobel when she started the Coldham Cuddlies Hedgehog fund raising efforts, and we'd like to help them too, where we can.

So that's all from me for this week:  do hope everyone is well and it's been good to be back "chatting" with you again.

Your Friend:  Cy Bear.

PS:  If there are some strange "squares" and things on this blog when published, it's because of the technical difficulties experienced in "copying and pasting" the petition text from the Government site to this blog.  One day, maybe, Isobel will get the hang of it and be able to present these things without strange things happening in the process!

The Tiggywinkles Story - Part 2

Hello Everyone, once again - from my temporary base away from my flat.

Allow me to introduce one of the residents at Tiggywinkles on the day daughter Philippa and I were visiting St Tiggywinkles Hedgehog Hospital in December 2015.  How come the "St .Tiggywinkles" I hear folks mutter!  Well apparently, in the early days of the Hospital, some journalists decided that as many human hospitals in the UK (in the  Greater London Area for example, we have a St. George's, a St Helier, and St Mary's), it was felt to be only right that a Hospital for Hedgehogs, performing such good work for wildlife in general and the Hedgehogs in particular, deserved to be similarly designated! Thus it came to be.... and continues to be.

 An unimpressed Hedgehog, who had been rudely awakened so that it could be displayed to us visiting humans - on a cold, very blustery December morning:  when it had been warmly tucked up in a wooden house stuffed with dry straw.  The staff member performing the introduction was unsure if it was one called "Lavender" or another one:  it didn't stay around long enough for the introductions to be completed - once replaced on the ground!

Last week, I wrote about my visit to this centrepiece of the Tiggywinkles Wildlife Trust located at Haddenham, in the Vale of Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire based not too far from - and within easy reach of  - London.  (Rail and road communications are good and once Haddenham Station is reached by train, there are taxis available to take one to the site.)  Philippa's home is just 30 minutes drive, so although it was cold, and very windy, that day, it was not difficult for us to access by car.

This is the extensive play area available for visitors' use in the Gardens surrounding the Visitor Centre.

The building on the right is the newly opened Red Kite Centre about which I wrote briefly last week.  The Wildlife Hospital is pretty central to the area designated by the Government when the Red Kite was officially reintroduced to the UK in the 1990's, after having been extinct for many decades.  From the initial introductions, Red Kites have now become a familiar sight when one drives into London along the M40 Motorway and it's great fun watching the smaller birds testing their flying abilities and coasting along on the thermals - especially during windy conditions.  In the picture you can see the specially built aviaries for these beautiful bird patients (in the background between the fencing and the back of the Centre, which also houses a Coffee Shop for visitors to use).

Next door to the Red Kite Centre, along the designated Visitors path way, and opposite the Pond

(another view of the Pond can be seen in last week's bulletin, by the way), is a series of aviaries reserved for avian patients who arrive for treatment, where they can recover (or live, as in the case of the two ravens we saw during our visit) from their injuries.  There were two in situ when Philippa and I visited, but only one who was not camera shy!

Further along the trail around the Tiggywinkle's Gardens, we came across this notice - and since we have several Foxes present in the Coldham Cuddlies Family of Toys (a visit to this section of our Shop illustrates this - https://www.etsy.com/shop/COLDHAMCUDDLIES?section_id=7940400&ref=shopsection_leftnav_3)  - I thought I'd include the following Fox-related shots I managed to take during our visit.

Just behind this notice, you can see the roof of a wooden shelter, which we subsequently learned is where the Foxes come to get their daily rations.  It's located in a fairly large area, dedicated to the Fox Patients who are either permanent residents at Tiggywinkles, or are currently waiting to be returned to the wild.

The rear of a male fox, who had eyed our arrival with deep suspicion for some time, but eventually decided to go about his daily business.

There are several buildings around a fairly substantial ground area where we assumed other Foxes were at rest or sheltering from the nasty conditions at the time.

A general view of the Fox Den, with buildings in what appeared to be an area reserved for injured Deer in the background on the left of the photograph. 

 I've still some more photographs I took during my Christmastime visit in 2015 - which will be located throughout elsewhere in this blog. However, visitors to my Toy Shop on Etsy.com, and those of you who follow the Coldham Cuddlies  on Facebook and elsewhere, will also be aware, we are also supporting another Hedgehog Hospital in the West Midlands of the United Kingdom.   I intend to write something about West Midlands Hedgehog Rescue next week, and am hoping to be able to use some photographs provided by the Proprietor of the establishment too.

As our journey around the Gardens at Tiggywinkles drew to a close, it was obvious that not all of the residents at Tiggywinkles can be described as "wild" or "patients":  a view we came to when we saw this very healthy lop-eared Rabbit, who was sharing a space with several Hedgehog houses (with hibernating residents inside,presumably).

Rabbit's Hutch can be seen in the background of this particular pen, together with a substantial pipe - for shelter during the day and play, one would assume.

I'll end this episode of the Tiggywinkles Story and the Coldham Cuddlies connection here.

In the interim, although away from home, I am still managing to keep abreast of Shop related administration and such like.  Finally, I managed this week to re-tag and re-label all the 87 currently listed Cuddlies available for sale (that's taken some doing, I can tell you!).  Really find it quite a task, especially as I'm still not really sure what I am doing (or even supposed to do!!).  To correct the latter deficiency, I'm this week starting a 4 week course offered by one of the Teams I've recently joined -

https://www.etsy.com/teams/13191/a-need-to-succeed.   - and hope, by the end of the course, to have a better idea of what is supposed to be going on.  Partnered by Team Captain, https://www.etsy.com/people/cynhumphrey who is kindly taking me under her wing, by the end of the course, I hope to have a better idea of how to proceed!  After recently celebrating 5 years on Etsy, it's time I really got down to it and worked at increasing sales of the Cuddlies, methinks!

When I'm not working on the SEO Course, I shall be continuing with my Baby Rabbit replacement programme.  Four new Yellow and White Baby Rabbits - https://www.etsy.com/listing/249743397  are about to be renewed and I'm set to do four more Pink and White versions next (https://www.etsy.com/listing/166947912).  One is already promised to a little Girl, who was adopted at the same time as my young Grandson.  Like my youngster - she is about to conclude the long-winded adoption process early in April.  The day that their names are changed by deed poll to become part of their new family - the Celebration Day - has been set for dates, one after the other,  in the first week of April. As the two youngster live close to each other, we're hoping to keep up the friendships already begun.

See you next week.  Hope everyone has a good one!

Isobel



(Thanks are expressed to Tiggywinkles Wildlife Trust for permission to use these photographs to illustrate this post - and the subsequent follow-ups.)

The Tiggywinkles Story - Part One.

Hello again Everyone.  Good to be back again with you.  It's time for me to begin telling you all more about the fund raising efforts that the Coldham Cuddlies and I have been involved with for some time, and I hope you'll find the story full of fun and information.

Ever since the beginning of October 2015, I've been mentioning my interest in Coldham Cuddlies and I trying to do something to try to halt the decline of the UK Hedgehog population.  With the three Coldham Cuddlies Hedgehog Toys (shown later), I've been attempting to build a fund-raising campaign to try to help those who are much better placed to do so in a "hands-on" capacity. and have chosen two UK Hedgehog Hospitals to support.    They are West Midlands Hedgehog Rescue and Tiggywinkles Wildlife Trust.  It's the latter that I'm going to tell you about in today's post - as well as maybe a couple more as well.

Starting in 1978, using their back garden as the operations base, Les, Sue and Colin Stocker began what has now become the busiest wildlife hospital in Europe. When Tiggywinkles Wildlife Hospital started few people had given much thought to the welfare of such creatures as frogs, badgers, wrens, owls, hedgehogs and all the other small animals that give us humans so much pleasure.

The Introductory Notice Visitors to Tiggywinkles read as they start walking round the Trust's Grounds, with examples of the Patients that are regularly treated at the establishment.

Once they realised such care was available, the public began to provide patients in ever increasing numbers - to the point that over 200,000 patients of all shapes, species and sizes have now passed through the doors of the Hospital. Together with a friendly local veterinary surgeon (now enlarged to being a team of specialist surgeons and veterinary nurses) the Stockers took every patient in that presented - and treated those who could be saved – free of charge.

A typical Tiggywinkles Patient List

That is still the case, with animals given every chance to live when they are initially assessed. Euthanasia is very much the last resort. Those not able to cope in the wild, are carefully housed within the Visitor Centre gardens and grounds which surround the current state of the art Wildlife  Hospital – which was opened by HRH Princess Alexandra in November 1991.

One of the oldest residents in the Badger Sett at Tiggywinkles

Stories of Three Tiggywinkles Permanent Residents:  Merry and Christmas arrived on the same day (at Christmas time).

The Hospital now stands in six acres of Church Farm, Haddenham, Buckinghamshire – thanks to a 999 year lease provided by Buckinghamshire County Council – responding to a massive fund-raising effort by the Stockers and friends, as well as sponsorship from British Telecom and BP.

Like most of the signs at Tiggywinkles, this is housed behind glass:  making photography with a small digital camera challenging.  Hopefully, Readers can get an idea of the Hospital surroundings.

The specialist knowledge gleaned in the daily operations of Tiggywinkles is now shared throughout the world by means of publications, books and lectures to veterinary schools – whenever the staff are invited. Latterly, a special City and Guilds course has evolved for young students wishing to specialise in wild life care, with many progressing to fully fledged animal welfare qualifications.

Tiggywinkles staff teams are also called upon to assist at large scale wildlife disasters outside their immediate location in Buckinghamshire - such as major oil spills, where sea birds and other animals are affected.  It's  educational  to read this particular sign board - and an indication of how important the work carried on at this establishment is - not only in the UK, but also in Europe too.

Special pens have been built to separately house badgers and foxes, sheds built to shelter deer patients, a large pond (almost a lake indeed) for bird life (some indeed just visiting) and most recently – in 2011 – a massive set of aviaries was opened to house Red Kites so that the Hospital is able to cope with injured birds, the result of the tremendous success of the Government's re-introduction of the species. The new Red Kite Information and Education Centre is now open, allowing the public to get near to these “masters of the sky”.

The Badger Sett, with the rear of the Visitor Centre and Museum (L) in the background.

The Pond at Tiggywinkles, where patients live, and all avian visitors are made welcome.

Inevitably as the public learned about the Wild Life Hospital's services, they also came just to visit and learn. Naturally, they cannot see the patients in the Hospital, but there is a first-class Museum – with artefacts and information about Hedgehogs, who have been around since the days of Ancient Egypt - and still continue to fascinate. Hedgehogs have become mascots to battleships, lent their names to military formations in battle, and perform evaluable garden services in controlling slugs and other enemies of the world's gardening public. Their biggest drawback is that being nocturnal and small, it is easy for our busy world to forget they are there.

Recent problems our prickly friends face include loss of habitat. Modern farming practices mean that increasingly in the UK they are having to share it with Badgers – who are not only a protected species in this country, but also are not above enjoying the occasional Hedgehog "snack". Tiggywinkles does not discriminate between these two species, and welcomes patients from both. Indeed, when I visited with daughter Philippa, just before Christmas 2015, we were able to see the badger sett (see the picture above)  – but not its residents. Because, like Hedgehogs, they are nocturnal animals.  (Recently, as late as last week, moves have started to have Hedgehogs protected - in the same way that the UK's endangered Red Squirrels are.  So watch this space!)

The modern Hedgehog is also up against the ever growing need for building land – with modern houses surrounded by fences, which disturb the normal hedgehog routes between home and food. Gardeners in the UK are being urged to cut holes (the size of disc covers) in their boundaries – to save their garden Hedgehogs having to go into roads and streets to make progress, and then losing their fight against the car drivers sharing the same space. The recent flooding experienced throughout the UK will not have helped either – with many Hedgehogs who might have hibernated in garden wood piles and rubbish heaps probably being swept away in the flood waters.

Personally, having been an avid Beatrix Potter reader myself – as well as reader to my daughters of the same stories – I've always had a soft spot for Mrs Tiggywinkle, so it's no surprise perhaps that when I learned – several years ago – about the Tiggywinkle Wildlife Trust,  I'd be a likely Trust membership candidate. I was also reared on the stories of Little Grey Rabbit and her friends, particularly Fuzzipeg, written by Alison Uttley. (Samples of these stories can be seen in the Visitors Museum in Haddenham too) and since December 2015, there have been 3 Coldham Cuddlies Handmade Hedgehog Toys looking to be adopted by future visitors to Tiggywinkles.  (The Visitors Season begins at Easter each year, with opening hours being Monday-Friday 10.00 am to 4.00 pm). 

https://www.etsy.com/listing/259346605

Coldham Cuddlies is the online Toy making business that I started in 2010 as occupational therapy to ease my arthritic hands, as well as to provide a break from care responsibilities for my late disabled husband. After his death in 2010, the Cuddlies became a full time occupation, and during the 2015 autumn, I became aware of the current dangers to the UK Population as a whole. With three obvious candidates to uses as my Helpers, finding an acceptable way to support Tiggywinkles has become something of an obsession in my life!  

This post has gone on long enough, so I'll end it now.  The Tiggywinkles Story will continue next week,  Until then, here's hoping everyone has a great one.

Isobel

(Thanks are expressed to Tiggywinkles Wildlife Trust for permission to use these photographs to illustrate this post - and the subsequent follow-ups.)

Squirrel Kalaedescope - You Choose between the Blacks, Reds and Greys!

Greetings everyone - and apologies for the absence of last week's post.  Several reasons for it, including the fact that our Black Squirrels (mentioned by Cy Bear in his last post a couple of weeks ago) had still to be completed, and also because I  have been unexpectedly away from base. (While this still continues to be the case, hopefully all will be restored to "normal" soon).

In the interim, because "home" is not far from where I find myself at the moment, I've been able to retrieve the necessary fabric and other haberdashery needed to complete the Coldham Cuddlies Squirrel project.  So, this post will serve to introduce the three latest members of the Coldham Cuddlies family:

First - even though he/she is/are the newest members of the Squirrel clan - meet Basil:  so called because the name rhymes with Cyril Red Squirrel and Sybil Grey Squirrel, who were alluded to in Cy Bear's last post two Sundays ago. (My word, doesn't the time fly by:  here we are, already mid February 2016!):

https://www.etsy.com/listing/268063642

Basil (R) has a felt acorn sewn on between his front paws, while Basil (L) does not:  just to give interested parties a choice of how their new Coldham Black Squirrel might look when thinking about adoption procedures!

This is Basil Squirrel (R) with his acorn - currently upside down, but ready for turning the right way around if required.  Cy Bear, in his last post, did mention that I was wondering how to sew the facial features on to this very black toy - because, of course, for most of my other Cuddlies, they have them sewn on with Black DK Yarn.  Eventually, I decided to go with light Brown DK Yarn for these boys, and think it works quite well.  White was just a little too stark a contrast.

Here is Basil Squirrel (L) giving a better side view of his shape.  The tails curve round at their ends, quite realistically, but being black, they don't show up as clearly as they do with the Grey and Red Squirrels.  They're all on sale at £20.00 GBP ($29.00 USD), are made in a totally smoke free and animal free environment and make really Cool Toys for Toddlers, Tots and even Grown-ups too!  

To be quite honest, I'd never heard of Black Squirrels prior to beginning the Squirrel project - one that had been on my "To Do" list for some time, (at least 3-4 years ) since receiving a Birthday (or even Mother's Day) gift from daughter,Clare.  

(This particular toy publication has been responsible already  for  https://www.etsy.com/listing/99686556 (Barney, Barn Owl) and our Frog - the current version being a Brown and Yellow Toy to be seen at https://www.etsy.com/listing/116285186. )

https://www.etsy.com/listing/265274960

I'd taken the first versions of the Grey and Red Squirrels to show friends after Mass one week after they had been completed, and during the conversation after their revelation, not only was the suggestion made to name them "Sybil" and "Cyril" respectively, but mention was made about there being Black Squirrels in existence in parts of America (with California mentioned as being where they were most prolific).  Since most of my Cuddlies seem to find Forever Homes in the USA, it thus seemed a logical move to find out more.  

My research (thanks to Google and Wikipaedia) told me that Black Squirrels derive from the Grey Squirrels and are about the same size as the Greys.  The Reds, are not only smaller, but they are now more often to be found in pockets of  the UK and, since the introduction of the Greys to our island, they are diminishing fast.  Because the Reds are more susceptible to a "squirrel pox" carried by the Greys (who seem to be largely immune to the disease), as well as being unable to stand up to the invasion by the bigger North American species.  The Black Squirrels are not just limited to California, but are commonly to be seen in the northern American States - across the whole Continent, as well as the southern Canadian Provinces north of their shared borders.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/265276978

However, curiously, there is an isolated colony of  Black Squirrels in the UK - in the vicinity of the town of Letchworth, in Hertfordshire (north of London).  Why they remain there, without having spread around the rest of the UK raises some interesting queries - as well as why we don't know more about them. 

Basil Black Squirrel - a view of the rear

When the move back home takes place, I'll take pictures of the three different coloured Coldham Cuddlies Toy Squirrel colony together, but meanwhile, here is one of the Reds and Greys to be getting on with.

Together with that photograph, I'll  also be going back to my Hedgehog obsession - starting to tell you more about the Christmas-time visit made to Tiggywinkles Hedgehog Hospital, one of the two Hedgehog charities the Cuddlies and I are trying to help in the fight to halt the decline of the UK Hedgehog population.  Permission has been received to use my photographs - as a reminder of that visit - and arrangements have been  put in place as to how the three Hedgehog Toys I donated to the Hedgehog Hospital Trust could be used to possibly increase our contribution to our fund-raising efforts.  All will become plain in coming weeks.

Sybil Grey Squirrel - rear view

Meanwhile -this week, nationally in the UK,  there were some developments in the overall fight for our Hedgehog Population.  Some moves are afoot to give Hedgehogs the same protection currently on offer to our Red Squirrels.  Both species are also among the contenders to be declared the National UK Animal.  You'll not be surprised to know that I'm solidly behind the Hedgehogs: although, I do admit to having torn loyalties were it to end in a race between the Hedgehogs and the Red Squirrels.  (Foxes and Badgers have been mentioned as well, for those who might be interested!)  What about the Grey Squirrels, I hear folks enquire?  Well, there are moves to try to remove them all together - because of their effect on our native Red Squirrels.  They are not native to our islands.

Watch this space - developments on all fronts will, of course, be reported as and when they occur.

Finally, Cyril Squirrel - from the back

Be back again, hopefully in normal surroundings, next week.  Cy Bear is on guard, as ever, when I'm away from base.  See you all then.

Isobel

Two Cuddlies have new Forever Homes and there are Two Cuddlies to Introduce.

Hello Everyone!-

This is coming from Kirkby in Ashfield in Nottinghamshire, England, UK on a very wet and - so far at any rate - less windy afternoon.  We've had some terrible winds here in the UK (not not that bad around our flat fortunately.  When it does blow, the living room window rattles, and being on the top floor of the building, the effect is even more pronounced).  We're expecting another storm to blow in across the Atlantic Ocean tomorrow, so we're all hunkering down and keeping our heads down.

MrsPB from Warrington, Lancashire was as good as her word and earlier this week sent us several shots of our Yellow Plush Dressed Rabbit  the subject of the last two week's blog posts.  Here is our Rabbit getting to know her new friends, Daddy and Mummy Gingham Rabbit:

We were actually sent three pictures in all, but this one was the clearest when all the transferring photographs from Etsy,com. to Download file on this computer,  and then to here was accomplished. (The other two were a little out of focus).  It's interesting to see the difference in how they've come out - because our Yellow Rabbit is actually smaller - although all three are obviously based on a similar original pattern.  MrsPB said that so far she's not got a name but that "that will come in time"!

There's some great news to report about Barny Barn Owl - who, together with Ollie Owlet, a bunch of Hedgehogs and the other Yellow Plush Bunny were taken to be displayed at The Ark Book Shop in Kirkby for the first time at the end of last week.  Isobel had about 10 minutes to spare on Wednesday morning - after doing some of her weekly shopping in the local supermarket - and dropped in to see how things were going (and to check that the Cuddlies had been behaving themselves, too!)  She was delighted to learn that Barny was purchased and taken home on Saturday (the day after he'd arrived).

We're not sure which of these two pictured is the one who is in his new home, but I'm delighted to be telling you about his good luck.  Isobel's arrangement with MrsSQ, our contact in The Ark Bookshop, is that she'll keep dropping in, and once a month, they'll meet.  The money from any sales will then be given to Isobel -minus the agreed 20% commission for the display space.  When visiting the Cuddlies on Wednesday last week, they'd already been moved from the back of the Shop to a shelf in one of the Shop's front windows!  (So,..... watch this space!).  None of us expected quite such a fast result.  (In case you were wondering:  a branch of the Cuddlies bank is situated just across from The Ark Bookshop, so it's just a hop, skip and a jump for Isobel to be able to pay any funds in straight away!)

Isobel has not been feeling as well as normal this week, and hasn't ventured outside the flat too much as a result.  But it has meant that she's been able to do quite a lot of sewing - as well as doing a lot of admin. work for the Shop.  All 89 items in it are having their tags(labels) changed - from references to Christmas (which is now over, of course) to some new ones referring to Easter - be it gifts, presents, bunnies/rabbits or eggs (although to date, we don't feature the last item - though one never knows!).  She's about a third of the way through, and is re-reading the descriptions for each Toy as she checks the item, so it's something that cannot be rushed.

However, we now have two examples of two new Cuddlies - listed last week-end, but yet to be described to you.  They are currently sitting in one of the chairs in the Living room, waiting for the third member of the trio to be completed.  So, meet Sybil Grey Squirrel

https://www.etsy.com/listing/265274960/

and her cousins, Cyril Red Squirrel

https://www.etsy.com/listing/265276978

The felt acorns are currently "fixed" in place with velcro and are a little fragile.  However, as they are an "additional" item, and not really part of the Toy, when they go to their Forever Homes - hopefully before too long - the"decorative items" can easily be removed and each toy then becomes a cuddly armful for a new Forever Friend.  (Mind you, that might change ere long:  the acorns keep becoming unstuck from one or other Squirrels'  front paws, and Isobel could well get fed up with putting them back in place - before that happens!)

There is already one Black version made (to be called Basil Black Squirrel ) but waiting for his nut to be fashioned, and to have some facial features added.  Isobel normally uses black double knitting wool to produce these facial features on all us Cuddlies, but when one has a completely Black Squirrel, she's debating how to sew them in such a way that they can be seen, but not stand out too much.  By next week, hopefully, the problem will have been satisfactorily solved.

So, until then - this is Cy Bear (Cy does stand for Cyril, too - but as you all know I'm Cy Bear to all of you, My Very Good Friends).  In our Red Squirrel's case, not only was Sybil named first (by a lady who attends the same Mass at St.Barnabas Cathedral in Nottingham as do Isobel and The Family, but she also suggested Cyril - because "he looks like a Cyril"!  Who am I to argue? (Basil Black Squirrel has got his name, because it goes well with the other two!)

See you all next week - Cy Bear signing off: